Nash gives song 'Kiss' of approval

August 20, 2006

CARSON, Calif. (AP) -- Two years after Sixpence None the Richer split, singer Leigh Nash is pursuing a solo career, although she can't quite escape the band's big hit, "Kiss Me." The song has become a staple during timeouts at sporting events, with the stadium camera focusing on fans who are expected to smooch, sometimes with comical results. "I heard about that," Nash told The Associated Press. "That's awesome. It kind of makes sense, and it was such a big song. I thought it was cute. I'm glad they have a song that was appropriate." Nash performed a brief acoustic set at the JPMorgan Chase Open women's tennis tournament on Aug. 11, singing "Kiss Me" and new songs from her debut solo album, "Blue on Blue," which was released Tuesday. "I've played almost every possible scenario -- funerals, weddings, sports events, you name it," the 30-year-old singer said. Sixpence dissolved in 2004, and Nash and her husband moved to Los Angeles, where she wrote several songs for the album and gave birth to her first child. "It's about the song and the lyrics," she said. "In Sixpence, there was a lot going on and I felt like I was kind of drowned out all the time. I was having to fight to get over the instruments and the guitars." Nash's album is on One Son Records, her label named for her 2æ 1/2-year-old son, Henry. She will perform at the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend on Oct. 19 with Jars of Clay and Matt Wertz. "If I wasn't as content and happy with the record as I am, I might feel a lot more freaked out," she said. "But I stand behind it, and I feel really positive about it and the work that was put into it."